Courtesy of geek culture news site The Mary Sue, we get to look at some exclusive images of Windblade, the fan-created character whose first appearance was in this week's issue of More Than Meets the Eye! Check out the images below, and some snippets from the interview with Mairghread Scott, writer of the mini-series featuring the character, starting in April (which will apparently also feature Starscream, Blurr and Chromia).

Jaydot: The TFWiki entry about Windblade is pretty sparse. We know she’s got a “fancy sword” and turns into a jet, and there’s almost literally no other info about her. Without getting into too much background detail, which I understand might be spoilery, can you elaborate at all on who/what Windblade is?

Mairghread: To be fair, beyond being a jet and a sword fighter I started with a pretty blank slate when I developed Windblade, so don’t fault the wiki for that one. The most important thing for me when constructing Windblade was to make her a fully three-dimensional (read: flawed) character, so if I had to pick one word to describe her I would say that Windblade is trying. She’s an optimistic, hard-working Transformers character who is genuinely interested in helping others, but she’s also been dropped in the aftermath of a millennia (for real) long war that she was not really part of, so while she’s a very competent character, she’s way behind the curve when it comes to knowing who’s who and what’s what on Cybertron. This actually makes Transfomers: Windblade a really good starting point for new readers because almost everything on Cybertron is as new to her as it is to someone just entering the brand.

What’ll be the overall tone of the book? Transformers can run the gamut from very kid-friendly to very mature (although even Transformers Prime had its extremely dark moments, see the whole Silas storyline, for example). While I have no doubt Windblade will have its emotionally impactful moments, are you aiming overall for something lighter or more fun, or is this a much more serious endeavor?

Transformers: Windblade is, at its core, a story about hope: who has it, who doesn’t, what does it cost and when is it worth (and not worth) that price. So you should expect a story that runs the entire emotional gamut. That said, Transformers: Windblade will definitely be fast-paced and fun because Transformers as a brand is so fast-paced and fun, but hope in the hands of someone like Starscream can be a very dangerous thing and Windblade, who is so centered around the idea of hope, is going to learn that the hard way.

[...]

what’s the #1 (or #1 through #5) thing you want people to know about WINDBLADE? Either the comic as a whole or the character.

When it comes to the comic, you should be reading it.

If you’ve loved Hasbro and IDW’s Transformers comics for years, you should read it: Sarah and I have really tried to push the envelope in both storytelling, artistic style and that wonderful point where they meet. We’re going to open whole new worlds for you both in-story and on the page and you are not going to want to miss it.

If you’ve never read Transformers, you should read it. Transformers: Windblade is a perfect jumping on point and designed to show off all the best (okay, all my favorite) parts of this brand: fantastic characters, imaginative landscapes, awesome fight scenes and, yes, even humor.

And if you’re an impulse buyer, you can order issue 1 from your local comic store right now: FEB140337 E TRANSFORMERS WINDBLADE #1 (OF 4) gets you the Casey Coller cover.

A pass. No issue with fembots but not a fan of either the way they're being shoehorned into this corner of the IDWverse which is genderless. I probably also wouldn't have been as annoyed by it had the author not made some odious comments attempting to speak on behalf of all women. Had this been a Prime book or Animated no-one (including me) would have found even the slightest amount to react to. And on top of that those Stone sketches look awful. I realise they're just sketches but...

WHERE have I seen a story about FIVE new airplane characters dropped into a centuries long war that wasn't theirs. Who were new to Cybertron, and also had to figure out who was who the hard way? (Cough G1 cartoon Cough)

I'm interested to see how this series (and character) turns out. As I'm collecting all of the main IDW continuity, I'll definitely be picking it up.

Chromia looks awesome. I hope that's similar to the upcoming Deluxe figure.

I do agree Starscream & Blurr look more feminine than usual, but out of all the characters that could be drawn that way, they're most fitting. What I like most about all of these designs is that they scream personality. Definitely looking forward to this.

Fires_Of_Inferno wrote:I don't mean to sound sexist or anything, but does anyone else notice that both Starscream and Blurr have more feminine figures than Chromia?

I believe these are merely concept art as Chromia's form in the comics greatly differs from what we see here. For now at least. It may be she gets a new altmode and a new body structure to go w/ it just like Windblade.

All talk of gender aside, this Windblade character makes Drift look not quite so utterly, utterly cliched and beneath contempt in comparison. It's like bad fanfic accidentally given the green light. I love these versions of Chromia and Blurr however.

Fires_Of_Inferno wrote:I don't mean to sound sexist or anything, but does anyone else notice that both Starscream and Blurr have more feminine figures than Chromia?

Me too, But I was afraid to say it and be raged to death.Nothing against feminine designs but, either you change completely the gender (I don't like it, but some people do) or you maintain original character proportion (look at that starscream head, what the flick!)

MR Optimus Prime wrote:WHERE have I seen a story about FIVE new airplane characters dropped into a centuries long war that wasn't theirs. Who were new to Cybertron, and also had to figure out who was who the hard way? (Cough G1 cartoon Cough)

Well, it sure is a darn good thing we won't be getting THAT story anytime soon since the war here has been good and over for a while now and Windblade's being dropped into the AFTERMATH of the war that wasn't hers.

That Blur looks awesome, maybe a tad bit too much hips, but cool looking. Windblade looks a lot like the WFC Shockwave with turbines and painted face head EDIT: Oh yea and metal boobs. Maybe its just me.

I do like the way she looks here though, Chromia I mean, not Windblade (still gonna pop her head off and put something else there if I can). I really hope we get a Chromia figure. Transformers is REALLY lacking in female characters that aren't Arcee and Blackarachnia.

We have already heard about new fan-built Transformers character Windblade, but comics news website ComicBookResources was also able to have a chat with writer Mairghread Scott about what's to come in the four-issue mini-series set on Cybertron! Read excerpts below, and the whole thing here.

In the wake of the "Dark Cybertron" crossover, the various Transformers are in disarray. And things are about to get even more interesting for the characters, as writer Mairghread Scott and artist Sarah Stone -- the first all-female creative team to ever work on a Transformers series -- will soon be hitting them with the imminent arrival of Windblade.

The first "fan-built bot" created through a number of polls on Hasbro's website, Windblade's design, features and abilities were all decided by the general public and brought to life by Hasbro designer Lenny Panzica. The sword-wielding, jet-powered female Transformer looks set to cause a whole load of trouble for the rest of Cyberton's sons and daughters in her own four-issue, self-titled miniseries due to kick off in April. Scott spoke to CBR about her plans for the character -- and just what her arrival means for IDW Publishing's Transformers Universe as a whole.

CBR News: Windblade arrived in the IDW Transformers continuity during the recent "Dark Cybertron" crossover event. Following that story, what kind of state are the Autobots and Decepticons in as this miniseries kicks off? How are they recovering -- or not -- from the event?

Mairghread Scott: I don't think it spoils anything to say that things get a little, well -- dark by the end of "Dark Cybertron" and the whole event has very much demoralized the entire planet. Fighting an endless war is tiring, but there are only so many times you can rebuild your home-world before you start to feel like things just aren't gonna get any better.

But, in a way, this is also the perfect time to introduce a new character like Windblade because she's seeing so many things for the first time. There's an old saying that "evil triumphs when good men do nothing," and "Transformers Windblade" is just as much about the danger of staying on the sidelines as it is about evil itself.

[...]

She was created after winning a fan-poll from Hasbro which asked fan to help create a new character. How exciting was it to have the chance to introduce and establish a character into continuity?

It was extremely exciting. The moment they announced Windblade, I told John Barber that I was calling dibs on her if she made it to the comics. It's nice to see that still works. But, in all seriousness, it really is amazing to feel like Sarah and I are getting to make a little bit of Transformers history. We get to bring in a whole new character (and hopefully a new readership) to our favorite brand; we're pulling out all the stops to make sure Windblade earns a spot in Transformers for a long time to come.

[...]

There are other female Transformers, but the majority of them are identified as male. Are you interested in writing and exploring that in this series? Do the other characters treat her differently for being a female, or do they not even notice?

Obviously, Starscream's gonna use any kind of wedge issue he can -- because he's Starscream.

But Cybertronians in general are less interested in that kind of thing, and that's something I really love about the brand. Think about it: If you're fighting another Transformer, it's a lot more crucial to know what they turn into (tank, jet, flash drive) than what pronoun they use. Characters who don't know Windblade are obviously curious about who she is, but who she is, is so much more than "female."

I'm not understanding this suddenly so urgent need to put more Cybertronian T&A into the comics (and games). First off, she's an AUTObot ... So why is she a jet? If she is too stupid to know what faction she should be how is she going to make any sense out of what's happening on Cybertron? Secondly, this political crap on Cybertron is lame... the series is not going to last more than 12 issues. I blame the fandom for this mess. If they had the decency to beat off to a porno before polling, Windblade would have never been voted into existence!

>the first all-female creative team to ever work on a Transformers series

Don't care.

Let's focus less on being progressive and more on good stories. I don't really care that there's a few new female characters in the universe or that the people working on this are women. Just give me a plausible explanation for the characters' presence and a story that's not really meh like those Rage of the Dinobots and Beast Hunters comics and I'll be happy.

84forever wrote:I'm not understanding this suddenly so urgent need to put more Cybertronian T&A into the comics (and games). First off, she's an AUTObot ... So why is she a jet? If she is too stupid to know what faction she should be how is she going to make any sense out of what's happening on Cybertron? Secondly, this political crap on Cybertron is lame... the series is not going to last more than 12 issues. I blame the fandom for this mess. If they had the decency to beat off to a porno before polling, Windblade would have never been voted into existence!

That never phased Victory Saber, being a jet.or Silverbolt. Ooh! Powerglide, he was a plane too!

Also, some of us enjoy the societal workings of Cybertron. These are living aliens, they have a culture, even if it does revolve around killing eachother. Lets see what lifexand death means to them, and what. The universe means to them. Lets have some thoughtful, deep Star Trek type moments. We've done the "Megatron turns into a gun. Megatron shoots Optimus Prime! Itsnot very effective..." schtick over... and over... and over... again and again and again...

84forever wrote:I'm not understanding this suddenly so urgent need to put more Cybertronian T&A into the comics (and games). First off, she's an AUTObot ... So why is she a jet? If she is too stupid to know what faction she should be how is she going to make any sense out of what's happening on Cybertron? Secondly, this political crap on Cybertron is lame... the series is not going to last more than 12 issues. I blame the fandom for this mess. If they had the decency to beat off to a porno before polling, Windblade would have never been voted into existence!

That never phased Victory Saber, being a jet.or Silverbolt. Ooh! Powerglide, he was a plane too!

Mindmaster wrote:

First off, she's an AUTObot ... So why is she a jet? If she is too stupid to know what faction she should be how is she going to make any sense out of what's happening on Cybertron?

I would name every Autobot flier I could think of, but we'd be here for days.

Well, not literally, but you get the point.

Unfortunately, he's stuck living in 1984 that nothing past it applies to his ideals, including the plane-based Autobot of 1985: Powerglide.

84forever wrote:I'm not understanding this suddenly so urgent need to put more Cybertronian T&A into the comics (and games). First off, she's an AUTObot ... So why is she a jet? If she is too stupid to know what faction she should be how is she going to make any sense out of what's happening on Cybertron? Secondly, this political crap on Cybertron is lame... the series is not going to last more than 12 issues. I blame the fandom for this mess. If they had the decency to beat off to a porno before polling, Windblade would have never been voted into existence!

Hey did you know that female characters in comics can be there for, I dunno, reasons that aren't T&A? That Autobots aren't just cars? The underlying misogyny in your post is pretty appalling. You should honestly be ashamed of yourself.

Treetop Maximus wrote:>the first all-female creative team to ever work on a Transformers series

Don't care.

Let's focus less on being progressive and more on good stories. I don't really care that there's a few new female characters in the universe or that the people working on this are women. Just give me a plausible explanation for the characters' presence and a story that's not really meh like those Rage of the Dinobots and Beast Hunters comics and I'll be happy.

This is actually a fairly important milestone, actually. I don't want to assume you're a straight, white male, but generally speaking it is harder for women to break in to comics, let alone on larger, predominantly male (straight, white) creative teams. So I wouldn't be so quick to disregard this, honestly. It might not be a big deal to you, but that's no excuse to be so snide/dismissive of this.

I have no doubt in my mind that IDW picked Scott because her ideas and the story she wants to tell meshes with the direction IDW have been taking Transformers, so I'd like to think that the people responsible for probably the best two years of Transformers comics in recently history know what they're doing/pick their collaborators well.

Treetop Maximus wrote:>the first all-female creative team to ever work on a Transformers series

Don't care.

Let's focus less on being progressive and more on good stories. I don't really care that there's a few new female characters in the universe or that the people working on this are women. Just give me a plausible explanation for the characters' presence and a story that's not really meh like those Rage of the Dinobots and Beast Hunters comics and I'll be happy.

This is actually a fairly important milestone, actually. I don't want to assume you're a straight, white male, but generally speaking it is harder for women to break in to comics, let alone on larger, predominantly male (straight, white) creative teams. So I wouldn't be so quick to disregard this, honestly. It might not be a big deal to you, but that's no excuse to be so snide/dismissive of this.

I have no doubt in my mind that IDW picked Scott because her ideas and the story she wants to tell meshes with the direction IDW have been taking Transformers, so I'd like to think that the people responsible for probably the best two years of Transformers comics in recently history know what they're doing/pick their collaborators well.

Not to mention that Scott is a good writer. Look at the first two issues of Beast Hunters (which were really not that meh at all), look at the Prime episodes she wrote: 'Chain of Command', 'Hard Knocks', 'Hurt', 'Orion Pax: Part 2', 'Stronger, Faster'.

And yes, the fact that it's the first ever all female creator team on a Transformers comic is important. In 30 years of the franchise, this is the first time! Do you know how many women are in the fandom? Do you know how many women have only had a handful of characters to relate to, and no writers? This is a massive step in the right direction, and one that every fan should welcome.

Treetop Maximus wrote:>the first all-female creative team to ever work on a Transformers series

Don't care.

Let's focus less on being progressive and more on good stories. I don't really care that there's a few new female characters in the universe or that the people working on this are women. Just give me a plausible explanation for the characters' presence and a story that's not really meh like those Rage of the Dinobots and Beast Hunters comics and I'll be happy.

This is actually a fairly important milestone, actually. I don't want to assume you're a straight, white male, but generally speaking it is harder for women to break in to comics, let alone on larger, predominantly male (straight, white) creative teams. So I wouldn't be so quick to disregard this, honestly. It might not be a big deal to you, but that's no excuse to be so snide/dismissive of this.

I have no doubt in my mind that IDW picked Scott because her ideas and the story she wants to tell meshes with the direction IDW have been taking Transformers, so I'd like to think that the people responsible for probably the best two years of Transformers comics in recently history know what they're doing/pick their collaborators well.

Not to mention that Scott is a good writer. Look at the first two issues of Beast Hunters (which were really not that meh at all), look at the Prime episodes she wrote: 'Chain of Command', 'Hard Knocks', 'Hurt', 'Orion Pax: Part 2', 'Stronger, Faster'.

And yes, the fact that it's the first ever all female creator team on a Transformers comic is important. In 30 years of the franchise, this is the first time! Do you know how many women are in the fandom? Do you know how many women have only had a handful of characters to relate to, and no writers? This is a massive step in the right direction, and one that every fan should welcome.

Yup, I went a little mental yesterday and bought all the TF Prime FOC related collections on comixology just to check out her writing. Sure not all are her's but I want to know what came before her's. Plus Grimlock'Ss always awesome.

Scott has talent; of that I have no doubt. But she can be hit and miss, as evidenced by the latter issues of Beast Hunters and even as early as Chapter 3 of Rage of the Dinobots, where her story either goes off the rails or includes a false conclusion or a plot twist that doesn't actually go anywhere (looking at you, Ser-Ket coming back to life only to die again two pages later). I do think she has a very solid grasp of the characters and her dialogue is always good, but the story structure doesn't always mesh coherently.

Whatever Hasbro edicts are in place for Windblade may be hindering her further...

Since I'm planning on getting the toy, I'll read the first issue of the miniseries and decide whether or not to get the TPB afterwards.

And while I'm glad there are more women working on Transformers fiction, I really wish it was a mundane occurrence rather than some progressive event we should all embrace, because (to my perception, anyway) the author's gender should be wholly irrelevant when writing about space robots transforming into fire breathing dinosaurs.

Henry921 wrote:And while I'm glad there are more women working on Transformers fiction, I really wish it was a mundane occurrence rather than some progressive event we should all embrace, because (to my perception, anyway) the author's gender should be wholly irrelevant when writing about space robots transforming into fire breathing dinosaurs.

Agreed. Real equality is when no-one bats an eyelid regarding your age/gender/race/sexuality etc and just accepts you do a damn fine job. It's interesting because over the last 5 years or so there are waaay more females attending Auto Assembly here in the UK, which I feel is because the rampant machismo and objectification of women present in the movies hasn't influenced the comics overtly. Or then again, perhaps it's because they want a piece of Nick Roche and his unfeasibly tight t-shirts

Henry921 wrote:And while I'm glad there are more women working on Transformers fiction, I really wish it was a mundane occurrence rather than some progressive event we should all embrace, because (to my perception, anyway) the author's gender should be wholly irrelevant when writing about space robots transforming into fire breathing dinosaurs.

Agreed. Real equality is when no-one bats an eyelid regarding your age/gender/race/sexuality etc and just accepts you do a damn fine job. It's interesting because over the last 5 years or so there are waaay more females attending Auto Assembly here in the UK, which I feel is because the rampant machismo and objectification of women present in the movies hasn't influenced the comics overtly. Or then again, perhaps it's because they want a piece of Nick Roche and his unfeasibly tight t-shirts

Real equality doesn't exist though, so I think it is important to highlight when things start to shift in another direction, because it allows for people to discuss these sorts in a context relevant to them (ie the role/lack thereof of women in Transformers, as a fiction and a franchise). It allows people to potentially re-assess their own view of women/gender in general via lively discussion I guess.

Though yeah I do agree it should be, in an ideal world, a non-event. But it isn't, and won't be, for a long, long time.

Edit: Another thing I want to address is the idea of an authors gender/race/etc not making a difference to stories about fantastic or otherworldly things, and I think I would have to politely disagree. I mean, the same argument could be made that stories about fire breathing space robot dinosaurs don't need in-depth political and social structures that resemble, in parts, things that have happened on earth. But they did, and it's been fantastic for the brand. So it wouldn't surprise me if Barber/Roberts/Roche/etc had an interest in social and political history that helped shape and influence the direction of the universe they are creating. Now that gender (in an alien environment not too dissimilar to our own) is going to be tackled, I think it makes total sense to get someone who has experience in being another gender, with being an outsider for something they did not choose. I'm not saying that Scott is a good fit BECAUSE she is a woman, but I do believe that being a woman will really help in telling an interesting story.

Hey, speak for yourselves. I am a fan and I had nothing to do with this so called "fan built" abomination they call a Transformer. The damn thing looks like some sort of human being rather than a transformer. It belongs in the realm of Bayformers, not IDW.

Treetop Maximus wrote:>the first all-female creative team to ever work on a Transformers series

Don't care.

Let's focus less on being progressive and more on good stories. I don't really care that there's a few new female characters in the universe or that the people working on this are women. Just give me a plausible explanation for the characters' presence and a story that's not really meh like those Rage of the Dinobots and Beast Hunters comics and I'll be happy.

I agree, just give us good stories without shoving PC down our throats. I just like Transformer stories I don't care who writes them.

Henry921 wrote:And while I'm glad there are more women working on Transformers fiction, I really wish it was a mundane occurrence rather than some progressive event we should all embrace, because (to my perception, anyway) the author's gender should be wholly irrelevant when writing about space robots transforming into fire breathing dinosaurs.

Agreed. Real equality is when no-one bats an eyelid regarding your age/gender/race/sexuality etc and just accepts you do a damn fine job. It's interesting because over the last 5 years or so there are waaay more females attending Auto Assembly here in the UK, which I feel is because the rampant machismo and objectification of women present in the movies hasn't influenced the comics overtly. Or then again, perhaps it's because they want a piece of Nick Roche and his unfeasibly tight t-shirts

Real equality doesn't exist though, so I think it is important to highlight when things start to shift in another direction, because it allows for people to discuss these sorts in a context relevant to them (ie the role/lack thereof of women in Transformers, as a fiction and a franchise). It allows people to potentially re-assess their own view of women/gender in general via lively discussion I guess.

Though yeah I do agree it should be, in an ideal world, a non-event. But it isn't, and won't be, for a long, long time.

Definitely. This seems to be the point that's being missed by a lot of readers.

Scott was hired to write the series because of her qualities as writer. Sarah Stone because of her artwork. They also happen to be the first woman writer/artist team in the franchise. That is, yes, secondary, but not unimportant. As pointed out, we do not live in an egalitarian, post-feminist society - at all.

And as also pointed out before, the creator's gender is relevant in terms of what type of experience can be brought to writing a character that shares some of the characteristics. I said it above: the characters were brought in by Barber and Roberts. And in fact, the whole concept of gender in a genderless race was brought in by Simon Furman. This is not a retcon, not a fixing, not a retelling - it's an alternative for more fans (and not just women!) to read about a different, minority aspect of the IDW universe's population so far relegated to off-page narratives or passing comments.

Sabrblade wrote:Unfortunately, he's stuck living in 1984 that nothing past it applies to his ideals, including the plane-based Autobot of 1985: Powerglide.

Digs like this can be construed as personal attacks, let's not go down that path.

I tried to tell you all that Sabrblade and Dead Metal have issues with anything that one posts that contradict their opinions. They just cannot let it go when someone says something they do not like.

You two need to back off of people. They have the right to their opinion just as much as you do without being attacked because they do not share your opinion. Kinda like you did with me, remember? It is a real turnoff to come here, read story after story, and see you two rail people for thinking differently from you.

Treetop Maximus wrote:>the first all-female creative team to ever work on a Transformers series

Don't care.

Let's focus less on being progressive and more on good stories. I don't really care that there's a few new female characters in the universe or that the people working on this are women. Just give me a plausible explanation for the characters' presence and a story that's not really meh like those Rage of the Dinobots and Beast Hunters comics and I'll be happy.

I agree, just give us good stories without shoving PC down our throats. I just like Transformer stories I don't care who writes them.

Henry921 wrote:And while I'm glad there are more women working on Transformers fiction, I really wish it was a mundane occurrence rather than some progressive event we should all embrace, because (to my perception, anyway) the author's gender should be wholly irrelevant when writing about space robots transforming into fire breathing dinosaurs.

Agreed. Real equality is when no-one bats an eyelid regarding your age/gender/race/sexuality etc and just accepts you do a damn fine job. It's interesting because over the last 5 years or so there are waaay more females attending Auto Assembly here in the UK, which I feel is because the rampant machismo and objectification of women present in the movies hasn't influenced the comics overtly. Or then again, perhaps it's because they want a piece of Nick Roche and his unfeasibly tight t-shirts

Real equality doesn't exist though, so I think it is important to highlight when things start to shift in another direction, because it allows for people to discuss these sorts in a context relevant to them (ie the role/lack thereof of women in Transformers, as a fiction and a franchise). It allows people to potentially re-assess their own view of women/gender in general via lively discussion I guess.

Though yeah I do agree it should be, in an ideal world, a non-event. But it isn't, and won't be, for a long, long time.

Definitely. This seems to be the point that's being missed by a lot of readers.

Scott was hired to write the series because of her qualities as writer. Sarah Stone because of her artwork. They also happen to be the first woman writer/artist team in the franchise. That is, yes, secondary, but not unimportant. As pointed out, we do not live in an egalitarian, post-feminist society - at all.

And as also pointed out before, the creator's gender is relevant in terms of what type of experience can be brought to writing a character that shares some of the characteristics. I said it above: the characters were brought in by Barber and Roberts. And in fact, the whole concept of gender in a genderless race was brought in by Simon Furman. This is not a retcon, not a fixing, not a retelling - it's an alternative for more fans (and not just women!) to read about a different, minority aspect of the IDW universe's population so far relegated to off-page narratives or passing comments.

Yeah, but if they didn't do this on purpose then why are they saying it in the first place. It is sexist in itself to make such declarations, by definition. I don't care if a girl or guy writes it, only if it is a good story. For some reason they are plugging the female team thing, and to me that is to help sales. If their writing is good enough, then it should stand on its own. Not because it is the "first female" anything.

My personal opinion is that having a Arcee called a "fembot" is ridiculous. Robots do not have a gender. I mean, this should be a no brainer to me. Arcee is not a fembot. Or a girl. Female. Whatever. It is a pink robot. An IT. Not a she.

Henry921 wrote:And while I'm glad there are more women working on Transformers fiction, I really wish it was a mundane occurrence rather than some progressive event we should all embrace, because (to my perception, anyway) the author's gender should be wholly irrelevant when writing about space robots transforming into fire breathing dinosaurs.

Agreed. Real equality is when no-one bats an eyelid regarding your age/gender/race/sexuality etc and just accepts you do a damn fine job. It's interesting because over the last 5 years or so there are waaay more females attending Auto Assembly here in the UK, which I feel is because the rampant machismo and objectification of women present in the movies hasn't influenced the comics overtly. Or then again, perhaps it's because they want a piece of Nick Roche and his unfeasibly tight t-shirts

Real equality doesn't exist though, so I think it is important to highlight when things start to shift in another direction, because it allows for people to discuss these sorts in a context relevant to them (ie the role/lack thereof of women in Transformers, as a fiction and a franchise). It allows people to potentially re-assess their own view of women/gender in general via lively discussion I guess.

Though yeah I do agree it should be, in an ideal world, a non-event. But it isn't, and won't be, for a long, long time.

Definitely. This seems to be the point that's being missed by a lot of readers.

Scott was hired to write the series because of her qualities as writer. Sarah Stone because of her artwork. They also happen to be the first woman writer/artist team in the franchise. That is, yes, secondary, but not unimportant. As pointed out, we do not live in an egalitarian, post-feminist society - at all.

And as also pointed out before, the creator's gender is relevant in terms of what type of experience can be brought to writing a character that shares some of the characteristics. I said it above: the characters were brought in by Barber and Roberts. And in fact, the whole concept of gender in a genderless race was brought in by Simon Furman. This is not a retcon, not a fixing, not a retelling - it's an alternative for more fans (and not just women!) to read about a different, minority aspect of the IDW universe's population so far relegated to off-page narratives or passing comments.

Yeah, but if they didn't do this on purpose then why are they saying it in the first place. It is sexist in itself to make such declarations, by definition. I don't care if a girl or guy writes it, only if it is a good story. For some reason they are plugging the female team thing, and to me that is to help sales. If their writing is good enough, then it should stand on its own. Not because it is the "first female" anything.

My personal opinion is that having a Arcee called a "fembot" is ridiculous. Robots do not have a gender. I mean, this should be a no brainer to me. Arcee is not a fembot. Or a girl. Female. Whatever. It is a pink robot. An IT. Not a she.

No.

It is because of a sexist society, power dynamics and patriarchal norms that a statement like that stands out and is inevitable. If there were no issues with disparity of genders, race, sex, age, ability, language, belief, there would be no need to point it out.

Every time I see comments reacting negatively to any news like this, one question springs to mind: what are you all afraid of or worried about? Is there a serious concern that this will steal something away from you?

Also, shockblast2: If a moderator calls someone out for a comment, you do not add to that message with your own comment, especially if you're attacking the users that have just been warned.

I would just like to point out that I am not missing any 'point', I just have a different opinion about what constitutes equality. It's a bit sneakily disparaging to basically say that people who don't see things the same way as you don't 'get it' Va'al. Naughty Va'al

Banjo-Tron wrote:I would just like to point out that I am not missing any 'point', I just have a different opinion about what constitutes equality. It's a bit sneakily disparaging to basically say that people who don't see things the same way as you don't 'get it' Va'al. Naughty Va'al

Nope. We agree on what constitutes equality, obviously. (I'd be surprised if there were multiple interpretations of 'equal', other than the Orwellian one.)

I disagree with you on the fact that we are not there yet. And that is the point you and others are not getting. I'm not saying that you disagree with me therefore you're wrong, I'm pointing out that you seem to think there is no inequality at play a) in society, b) in the comics industry, c) in the Transformers franchise.